New scam targeting the elderly and vulnerable.

PHONE scamming is becoming more and more common – and a new menace facing the elderly and vulnerable is on the rise.

While many of us receive nuisance calls with offers to fix our computers or claiming we have won a holiday of a lifetime, this latest fraud targets a particular audience.

Police forces have become aware of some older people receiving telephone calls from a caller claiming to be from their GP surgery, asking for an appointment to discuss the person’s mobility needs.

The calls are targeted because in many cases, it is believe that unscrupulous firms are buying databases containing details of patients and their medical / mobility needs.

Quite often they arrange to meet the person either in their own home or at a designated place – and will persuade them to buy mobility aids (which could include bath lifts, scooters or reclining chairs) at inflated prices. More often than not, these aids are unnecessary, inappropriate and always expensive.

We know of a couple of cases in where a bogus caller persuaded a patient awaiting a knee operation to buy an adjustable chair for more than eight times the retail price.

In another instance, a patient with an already perfectly good working mobility scooter was tricked into buying another – at more than four times the retail price.

While some appointments are arranged as a home visit, with the sole reason to sell something – others are made off site, to lure the person away from the house with the intention of burgling the property whilst they are ‘out of the way’.

The police in your area are aware of this latest scam, and information has also been circulated to all GP surgeries and the Clinical Commissioning Groups by the NHS.

Remember:  Never deal with cold callers – however persuasive they are. If you receive a call of this nature, always check with your GP surgery before agreeing to a visit.

Likewise, any cold callers offering to carry out work on your property should be met with extreme caution. If you need a recommendation for a safe, approved local tradesperson, visit www.safelocaltrades.com or call 0800 014 1832.